Being Brave
by Drama Queen 478
Summary: She's got a choice, a mission, and many obstacles. Elesia Alvarez, the first factionless transfer in twenty years, has finally come of age to choose. The only problem is, she craves one thing, but her parents need another. Inspired by the best-selling novel Divergent written by Veronica Roth
1. Chapter 1

Elesia Alvarez is the first factionless transfer in twenty years. Since she was a baby, her parents have drilled a specific mission and way of life into her head. She was to choose the correct faction, and help those who were factionless as much as humanly possible.

_~Inspired by the best-selling novel Divergent written by Veronica Roth. A story of a tainted civilization and a girl who discovers the _**_very_**_ little difference-almost none-between being selfless and being brave~_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the idea that this story revolves around! This story was written strictly based off of the novel _Divergent_**

* * *

I didn't grow up like everyone else. Every other sixteen-year old has had a perfect life. They belonged to a faction, they lived a straight, particular way of life. They went to school, they got a normal education, they made new friends. I didn't. The only reason why I know what a faction is, is because they've told me about them.

Candor: Honesty-they value honesty. They see everything as simple as black and white, which is why that's what they wear. Under no circumstances, will they lie.

Erudite: They're smart as hell. Apparently they believe that anything bad or evil, came from ignorance. Intelligence is the key to success.

Dauntless: I think they're insane. They are always doing ridiculous things like jumping out of trains, or climbing high buildings. All for what? So that they can prove how brave they are? Well, to me, those acts aren't brave, they're idiotic. Their responsibility is to protect the city, and to patrol the factionless sector.

Abnegation: I love them, they're so respectful, kind and, more importantly, selfless. I've always wanted to live that lifestyle, a lifestyle where everyone thinks about each other and not themselves. A lifestyle where everyone helps everyone.

Amity: I like to think of them as hippies. They believe in complete peace, in no conflict. It's kind of cute when you think about it, but after a while it's annoying to see someone act like they're high all the time. Seriously, are you on crack or something?

Maybe I'm being bitter, maybe I'm just jealous, or maybe I'm actually right. Either way, I never fail to ask myself this question. Why? Why is it that I'm limited because I didn't grow up like they did, because I don't have the same ideals wedged into me, because I don't have the same background they do.

"Why the long face?" my mother asked. The corner of her lips turned down, not exactly a frown, but somewhat close to it.

"No reason," I lied. There was a reason, the reason was that I've spent my whole life oppressed. Oppressed because I wasn't born at a convenient time.

"You're choosing today, are you excited," she asked. I didn't have it in me to lie anymore, so I simply opted for nodding my head. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"You're special, you know that right?" Her voice was soft and soothing. My mother wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was strong and I want nothing more than to be like her.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "They didn't even let me take the tests because I was born factionless." Every sixteen-year old is required to choose today. At the Choosing Ceremony, they will select the faction that they will live in for the rest of their lives. I've never been to a Choosing Ceremony, so I don't know what happens, all I know is that once you choose, you can't go back.

"Yeah, right," repeated my father, but not in the same sarcastic tone I used. Both my mother and I looked at him. He walked over to us and pulled up a chair.

"You're the last chance we've got love. This world... it's unfair, and you know that more than any of us. You're the first factionless chooser since twenty years ago, you _are _special. You're special because you have a mission. You're special because you're not like the rest of the kids you'll meet, you're special because you're my daughter," his voice was encouraging, but stern. My bottom lip rolled into my mouth as he placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Do you know what faction you're going to choose yet?" my mother asked. I tried my best not to scoff at that question.

"How can I possibly be sure of what faction to choose? They wouldn't let me take the aptitude tests, remember?" My mother's eyebrows came together, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yes, I know that Elesia. But you should know yourself well enough to decide on what type of lifestyle you want to lead," she scolded. I rolled my eyes, and turned my head to the side. I know what they want, they want me to say that I will choose Dauntless. They want to hear that I will be a protector of the city, and become a leader. They want to hear that they will always see me because I will be patrolling the factionless sector. Well no! I _don't _want to be Dauntless. And I _don't _want to become a leader. And I _don't _want to patrol the factionless sector.

"Well?" she continued to pursue my answer.

"Um, I was thinking about joining Abnegation," I muttered. Her features softened, and concern filled her eyes.

"I knew you would," she says. My eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"I think your father and I made a mistake," the look of astonishment on my face must have amused her, because she stopped and chuckled lightly.

"We've drilled this whole mission into your head since you were a baby. We made it sound like you had no other option besides choosing Dauntless. I'm sorry hunny, we never asked you what you wanted to do. Today...select wisely. Opt for the one that _you _want, not the one we're trying to force you to choose. Do what makes you happy, because deep down, that's what we want, is for you to be happy," I searched for any sign of contradiction, in her tone, in her features. But I found none, she was speaking truthfully, from the heart. Guilt coursed through me. Here I was complaining about them while she selflessly told me to pick my happiness over hers. Selflessly... there's that word again. I want to be Abnegation so badly. I want to live like they do more than anything in this world. But the question is, is it worth it? Is selecting Abnegation today worth risking my parents? The two people who love me more than life itself?

"Elesia, it's time," Brandon spoke, his voice snapping my out of my thoughts. He was tall and lean. Brandon was twenty-five, but his light blonde hair and kind brown eyes, made him seem much younger. A slight tint of pink appeared on my cheeks. I've stared at him long, too long.

"I know I'm sexy, but there's no need to ogle at me," he said, and then threw me a heart-melting wink.

"I wasn't ogling," I defended.

"Sure you weren't," he responded. Just as I was about to retort, my dad cleared his throat.

"As much as I enjoy seeing the two of you flirt like your age difference isn't monumental," I flinched slightly at his tone, "We must get going." Brandon's cheek flushed, probably from embarrassment or fright, and I tensed up. I was leaving for initiation today, but Brandon was definitely going to get it later on. My dad may not be his father, but daddy has no filter, he says the first thing that pops up into his mind; and now, the things running through his mind are most likely violent and harmful.

My mom, dad, and I were the only factionless people there. The Abnegation invited us to walk up the stairs with them into the choosing room. I smiled at their kind gesture. No one associated themselves with the factionless, we are viewed as failures. We are those who are separated from community, love, and friendship. The rhythm of their feet moving together as one made my smile contentedly. The grey fabric gave me a safe and warm feeling in my stomach. The way they all blended in with one another, it made my heart sing. This is what I want, this is where I belong. As I climbed the last few steps, I realized something. This may be what I want, but is it what I need? I've been taught my whole life to never confuse the two, what you want is different from what you need. More importantly, is it what my family needs? They were counting on me to help the factionless. They were counting on me to get them intertwined with society again. They believed that I could do that only from the Dauntless compound, but can't I do that from Abnegation as well? I mean, they're the ones that run the government right? I could help them from there just as easily as I could from Dauntless. As much as I craved to agree with the earlier statement, I knew that was wrong. No, I couldn't help them as easily from Abnegation. In order to be in the government, you have to show special skills, one of those skills being that you don't like power. They had to know whether you did or didn't want a place in government, and a place in government would be my only option if I went there. Besides, Erudite and Abnegation aren't on good terms right now. The Erudite want more say in the government and Abnegation doesn't trust them enough to have any say whatsoever. If they let me take a government role, it'll give the Erudite more of a reason to knock Abnegation out of power, I mean, if that's what they are trying to do anyways. Is all I'm thinking now true obstacles, or are those excuses formed by a guilty conscious? A conscious that refuses to believe that I want the opposite of what my parents do.

"Elesia," my father's terse voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him alarmed.

"Sit down," he growled. It was only then that I realized that I was the only one in the room still standing. I somehow managed to get to my seat throughout all of that contemplation, but my brain never registered that I had to sit down. Blushing a deep red, I slid into my seat and looked down at the ground, hoping that the action would make me somewhat invisible to the hundreds of eyes on me at the moment.

"Good morning, boys, girls, teachers and parents. Welcome to the annual Choosing Ceremony." I internally groaned as Jeremy began to speak. Judging by the clothes he was wearing, Jeremy was Abnegation, and in the midst of aging as well. His eyes were a piercing blue, he had a full head of white hair, and his face was filled with worry lines. He's spent too much of his life under stress, that's not good.

"Today is the day where your children become young men and women. Today is the day where they choose which faction they truly belong to," he continued, and took a pause as everyone began to clap.

"Years, decades, maybe even centuries ago, our ancestors experienced war. The war left everything and anything completely battered, tainted, and destroyed. It was clear that the cause of this war, was not conflict, but the flaws of human nature itself. Anyone who believed conflict is started with ignorance formed the Erudite. A society that believes intelligence is the key to success. Anyone who thought it was violence formed Amity. A society that lives in serenity. Those who blamed cowardice, formed Dauntless. A society that believes in ordinary acts of bravery. And last, but not least, anyone who blamed selfish behavior, formed Abnegation. A society that teaches you to think of others, rather than yourself." My Lord, I hate this already.

"Each faction, in trusted with a different set of jobs. Because of their unending selfless and kind behavior, Abnegation run our government. The Erudite, provide us with lawyers and scientists and teachers. Amity, farm our land, providing food for us. Candor is responsible for a well-working judicial system. And Dauntless are the protectors of our city, keeping us safe from all harm." When is this going to be over!?

"As I speak the conclusion to my speech, I just want you to remember to choose wisely. Once you select a faction, you cannot go back. The faction you select is the one you live in until the end of your days. If you're a faction transfer, you are not to go back to your family after Visiting Day. Each faction will provide you all with a rigorous initiation process, if you fail, you become factionless." Okay, so maybe this isn't so boring. If I fail I go back home, and it may sound like a good thing, but is it? I could always select Dauntless and then fail initiation on purpose. But wouldn't that be disgracing my parents? Wouldn't that be placing shame upon the entire factionless sector? Not many people here liked me, but they all knew me. I mean, you can't miss a sixteen-year old girl who hasn't showered in a week. You can't miss a sixteen-year old girl who has never seen a hair comb before in her life. You can't miss a sixteen-year old girl who wears a white T-shirt, and ripped jeans. You can't miss a sixteen-year old girl who has only ever heard of the word bra. And more importantly, you can't miss a sixteen-year old girl who is the first chooser from factionless in twenty years. They all know me, whether that bothered me or not I didn't know.

"Elesia Alvarez," my head snapped up at the sound of my name. I forgot they did this sh*t in alphabetical order. Once again, all eyes were on me. Except this time, they weren't scolding eyes, they were anticipation filled eyes. I gulped and placed my hands on the arm rests of my chair, and pushed myself up. My legs wobbled, I felt as if I was going to faint. My heart was beating so fast my chest began to ache. I took a deep breath and placed one foot in front of the other. A few seconds later, I was standing in the center of the room. Jeremy stepped to this side. I took a few more steps forward, my breath caught in my throat. In front of me was a knife, a textbook, an apple, a black and white block, and an oversized band-aid. If I took the knife I would be Dauntless, if I took the textbook I would be Erudite, if I took the apple I would be Amity, if I took the block I would be Candor, and if I took the fancy looking band-aid I would be Abnegation.

"Anytime now sweetheart," I expected Jeremy's voice to be demanding, but it wasn't, it was soft and encouraging. My hands were shaking and my palms were sweaty. All this time I've told myself how much I couldn't have what I wanted. I wanted to be Abnegation, but my dad wanted me to be Dauntless, and my mom didn't care what I chose as long as it made me happy. The question now, is even though I want Abnegation, will it make me happy if I choose it? Will I be able to ignore the guilt I will feel for defying my father, or will I live with it for the rest of my life? _No. _That was the answer to my question, no it wouldn't make me happy. It wouldn't make me happy because Abnegation's principle is to be selfless, and nothing is more selfish than settling for your happiness when your parents' happiness was at stake. Was I smart? Do I have the same thirst for knowledge that the Erudite do? And if I do, will I be able to help my parents from Erudite? _No. _Once again that was my response. I wasn't smart enough for Erudite, and even if I was, I wouldn't choose them. Am I honest? A bubble of laughter raised within me as I asked myself that question. Of course I'm not, under no circumstances will Candor lie, and I lied right through my teeth to my mother this morning. I am not Candor. I don't even have to wonder about Amity. I'd rather have a knife held to my neck than have to slave in fields all day to go back home and have to act like I'm on cloud nine 24/7. I sighed looking at the knife. Am I brave? Do I have the courage it takes to forget myself and live miserably to make my mom and dad proud? And that's when I noticed something. Choosing Dauntless would be a selfless act, choosing Abnegation would be a self-indulgent act. I like the Abnegation _because _they think of everyone but themselves. If I selected Abnegation, I would never be able to call myself a true one because it was indeed a selfish act that lead me to that decision. If I choose Dauntless, I would be acting like the Abnegation, I would be thinking of my parents instead of myself. If I couldn't be Abnegation, I could at least act like them right? But is it worth it? Is it worth spending the rest of my life closed between insanity and life risking acts? I clamped my eyes shut and reached out in front of me. The item I grabbed was cold, and heavy. When I opened my eyes, I found myself smiling weakly.

Yes... yes it is worth living miserably.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to be clear here, I'm not trying to change anything that happened in the book or re-write it, or whatever. Neither am I against the whole Tris and Four relationship. As a matter a fact, they are my OTP, my favorite couple. I ship them so much sometimes I have to be reminded that they are simply characters in a book. I first decided to write this when I got bored and decided to make my mom go out and by the book so that I could read it for the third time. Pretty soon, I had all the books, thus was born the idea of making one based off _Divergent. _Unlike most people, I decided to not use the exact same events and character names in my story as in the book. All of the characters names are different except for Four, and that's only because I felt his name was too symbolic to change.**

* * *

After I chose I made my way over to where the Dauntless sat. Much to my surprise, they cheered and hollered, their fists pumping in the air. I guess it doesn't really matter where you come from as long as they receive new members. I didn't pay much attention after I chose, whether that was rude or not I didn't know. I'm not 100% familiar with what is and isn't appropriate in these situations, neither do I give a f*ck.

"Congratulations initiates!" Jeremy announced and as everyone else clapped, the Dauntless whooped and whistled. Their reaction sort of frightened me, but it didn't exactly surprise me. After Jeremy made his way back to where the Abnegation sat, the Dauntless stood up. They were jumping on each other, clapping one another on the shoulder, and climbing over chairs. Then they all took off. My automatic reaction was to follow them, so I sprinted behind any piece of black clothing I could distinguish. Unlike the rest of the initiates, I was bare foot. The concrete felt rough against my feet and nearly scraped my skin. I was falling behind so I pushed myself to run faster, despite my disadvantage. My muscles began to ache and the air had been completely knocked out of my lungs. I was a lot shorter than the other initiates, so the only thing in my view were their backs covered in black leather jackets. Everyone around me began to slow their pace and I came to the conclusion that we were going to stop soon. I was right, we came to a halt and before us stood a tall and broad man. He had to be about eighteen. He had brown hair and icy blue eyes. Like the rest of the Dauntless-born initiates, he was dressed in black from head to toe. He wore a muscle tank and tight leather pants. He had a Snake Bite piercing and more ink on his arms than skin.

"Hello, my name is Jax. I am a Dauntless leader. If you are here, that means that you voluntarily chose to take on the responsibility of protecting the city. Your first assignment as an initiate is to find Dauntless Headquarters." That was yet another thing that I found peculiar about the Dauntless. About two years back, a new person joined the factionless because he didn't pass initiation. He failed the first assignment, which was this same one. I asked him if he was Dauntless-born or a transfer and he said he was Dauntless-born. I asked why he, who grew up Dauntless, couldn't find their headquarters and he said that no one even saw Dauntless Headquarters until they started initiation. So basically, the dilemma is I've never even been outside of the factionless sector and I'm tasked with finding Dauntless Headquarters. Freaking great.

"We will break you up into teams of four, and you have two hours to find Dauntless Headquarters. If you do not find it when time is up, you fail initiation all together. Is that understood?" yes I do understand. I had two choices, either work my ass off and find Dauntless Headquarters, or disgrace my family and go back home.

"The first team will be Elesia, Catherine, Michael, and Jared," my head snapped up at the sound of my name. Who are Catherine, Michael, and Jared? I felt a tender hand place itself on my shoulder and my reaction was to let out a squeal and turn around. I found myself staring at two boys and one girl. The girl had wavy red hair, blue eyes, and light freckles on her cheeks.

"Hey, I'm Catherine and this is Michael and Jared," she used a mood lightening tone.

"Sup, I'm Michael," a boy with golden hair and green eyes says. His voice was lower than the average male, and his height of about 6'4" made him slightly intimidating.

"And I'm Jared," the boy with jet black hair and dark brown eyes says. He looked more like a guy and less like a giant. I reached his upper arm, and unlike most of the guys here, he isn't overly muscular and built. Instead of answering, I gave them a toothless smile and nodded. There was really no need to introduce myself, like I said before everyone here knows me.

"Good luck," were the only words that left Jax's mouth. I guess that means get started. Some of the groups took off while others stayed and talked to each other. As I looked around, I noticed that they were all arguing. Well at least that's an advantage we have, we aren't arguing. Then again, we aren't doing anything; unless you count staring at each other like complete buffoons doing something.

"I think we should head East," spoke Michael.

"What makes you say that?" asked Catherine. I expected an answer so smart that none of us would even be able to understand it, but much to my dismay, he simply shrugged and responded with, "Just a hunch."

"Well, I think we should head towards Erudite Headquarters," Jared says.

"Why?" Catherine questioned.

"Because we just came from Abnegation Headquarters, we ran a few miles East and..." he trailed off. His eyebrows knit together and he placed a wavering hand on his head.

"Wait, forget it. That makes no sense," he muttered.

"Well I think we should split up. Michael and Elesia go West while Jared and I go East," Catherine suggested.

"No because-"

"Shouldn't we-"

"Why can't we just-"

Their bickering was like being poked repeatedly with a sewing needle: annoying and uncomfortable. I looked around and noticed that half of the groups that were here before already left. I cursed silently to myself. We're never going to make it if we keep going with this process. _Think Elesia, think. _There has to be something I know that can help us. I have to give them at least a bit of useful information. Alright, what do the Dauntless do?

They protect our city...

Well, that didn't help much. Alright new question, what do I know about Dauntless initiation? I've spoken to millions of failed initiates, there must be something I picked up.

They're training involves a lot of determination and physical activities. They believe in ordinary acts of bravery, and they frown upon cowardice.

But how does that help me in this situation? There must be something, anything that I know that will help us. My bottom lip rolled into my mouth and I narrowed my eyes at the ground. But no matter how much I tried to think, nothing came to mind. _C'mon Elesia, think! _There's something I'm missing and I know it. A few seconds later, a smile spread across my face.

"I think we should go to the factionless sector," I announce. Catherine, Michael, and Jared all stopped fighting and turned their attention towards me, their jaws agape.

"What?"

"You... she... it... her... um... you speak!?" Jared asked in disbelief.

"No, I spent my whole entire life communicating to human beings by sending them f*cking mind messages," I retorted sarcastically.

"Of course I speak you idiot!"

"Why do you want to go to the factionless sector?" Catherine asked. Boy, she's just full of questions isn't she?

"Because I used to live there, because I grew up there, because I happen to know that the Dauntless patrol the factionless sector and I'll bet you there are some Dauntless on duty now," I responded. Catherine smiled weakly at me and nodded.

"Makes sense, but how will that help us get to the Dauntless compound?" she asked.

"Well if I'm not mistaken, the morning guards should be leaving soon to be replaced with the afternoon guards. We just follow one of them, they're bound to go to Dauntless," was my response. Jared and Michael shrugged and nodded.

"It's worth a shot," Michael said.

"Yeah, let's go," Catherine says and we all start walking to the factionless sector.

* * *

It was only a matter of minutes before we reached our destination. The factionless sector was very different from the rest of the city. Our lifestyle wasn't as bad as they described it to be, but it could be better. We didn't exactly have homes, we sort of just lived outside. If you wanted privacy, well, it was almost impossible to have it. We-they sleep on old, used mattresses. Our-their clothes were given to them by Abnegation, but it wasn't too good quality either. The majority of the factionless wore white T-shirts, and ripped jeans. They used to have toothbrushes, hair combs, and razors provided to them, but those have been scarce for years. The only thing that wasn't out in the open for the factionless were the showers. They showered behind a curtain using a hose and a bar of soap. Soap and water is used up by most of the people who had factions, so some of the factionless went a week or two without showering. I didn't notice that Catherine, Michael and Jared were with me until Catherine sucked in a large breath of air. I turned to face her and raised a brow at her.

"Sorry," she coughed, "the smell is just," she gaged, "a bit strong for me." I rolled my eyes at her response. If she thought this was bad, she should see the way some of the Dauntless soldiers treat them.

"What did you expect? To walk through a land of roses, puppies, and candy when you arrived? No hunny, this is the factionless sector, people who are separate from society and oppressed because they made the mistake of choosing a faction they couldn't abide by," I spit out bitterly. Catherine's face flushes, probably from embarrassment.

"I forgot you grew up here, sorry." I waved off her apology, and began scanning the crowd of factionless for a Dauntless soldier. I spotted not one, but many of them. They were standing together by the train tracks. I guess it's time to go back home for them. I half-walked, half-jogged towards them, making sure that I wasn't so loud they could hear me. Wait a second, this is my last chance to see my parents before I start initiation. I stopped dead in my tracks and as Catherine, Michael and Jared flew past me, I turned around. My mom and dad have to be here somewhere. I peered closer at the crowd and searched for their familiar faces. When I finally caught sight of them, my heart sang. They were both staring at me: my dad wore a proud and content look on his face, my mom's eyes sparkled with appreciation and love. Tears slipped from my mom's eyes and I found myself crying as well. She nodded encouragingly at me, and I lifted my hand up and waved at them. My dad offered a proud smile in return and my mom returned the wave. After taking one last glance at them, I turned on my heel and caught up with my teammates. We stood a few inches behind the guards, each of us careful not to make a foul action. In the distance, I heard the horn of a train blare. Goosebumps formed on my arms as a burst of wind hit me. The Dauntless guards began jogging and a weight dropped in my stomach. I knew what was coming next. The train flew past us, its wheels screeching against the metal tracks. I watched as the Dauntless guards effortlessly hauled themselves into the cars. Without thinking, we all sprint forward and copied their action. My legs wobble slightly, but I push myself to keep up balance. Jared runs faster than all of us and manages to get into the fifth to last car. Catherine pushes herself forward, and pretty soon she passes Michael and I. Her hand flies out and she grabs onto the handle of the train. She doesn't exactly land perfectly. When she throws herself in she lands on her stomach, but then she manages to quickly pull her feet in behind her. Now it's just Michael and I. I realize that I will never make it at the pace I'm running at, so I push myself to run even faster. I never did much physical activity as a kid, so this was definitely new to my body. My heart was beating furiously, sweat collected in the lines of my palms, I wheezed in between breaths. I felt something strange at the very bottom of my throat, like someone had just made me swallow acid, I was dizzy, the corner of my vision blurred. My whole body was screaming at me to stop, yet I ran even faster. I somehow managed to pass Michael, my hand latched onto the handle of the fifth to last car (where Catherine and Jared were), and I did my best to throw myself in. The only problem was no matter how little and light I am, I still have no upper body strength. Luckily for me, Catherine got a hold of my other hand. She yanked me into the car, making me land straight on my stomach. Instead of standing up, I crawled to the other side of the car and sat there panting, wheezing and coughing. A few seconds later, I heard a low grunt and I knew Michael was having trouble pulling himself in. Catherine, Jared, and I all grabbed onto his free hand and pulled him in. Only the Dauntless would think about such a suicidal way of getting home.


	3. Chapter 3

Home. It was now a foreign concept to me, especially since this... right now, _is _my new home. The sooner I get that in my head, the better the rest of initiation will be for me. Well, if I even pass this first assignment. I sighed heavily and stood up, dusting my jeans off. It's been twenty minutes at most and I'm already dying for this to be over. Looking around at my teammates, I try to distract myself. There's absolutely nothing they all have in common. Catherine is tall and nimble, Jared is muscular but quick, and Michael is strong but slow. Judging by their black pants and white over jacket, Michael and Catherine transferred from Candor. Whether that bothered me or not, I didn't know. I never liked Candor for the mere reason that they are unable to be polite. Who wants to be around someone who says everything on their mind? The way I see it, if I don't ask you for your opinion, then don't tell me what you think. Jared was dressed in black dress pants, a button up white shirt, and a blue blazer over it-standard Erudite uniform. I never really liked the Erudite either, having a conversation with them is the same thing as reading a textbook. They're know-it-alls and have the worst tendency of correcting even the smallest details of what you say. I know I sound like an A-Class b*tch, but I can't help it. Besides, I'm sure they don't like me either so what's the problem?

"So, how does it feel being the first factionless transfer in twenty years?" Catherine asked, plopping herself down next to me. I looked down at her and rolled my eyes.

"Flattering," I reply flatly. Instead of telling me off and stomping away like I'd hoped she would, she simply laughed.

"Yeah, I bet it is. Being known and hated by everyone," she responded as if she shared the same bitter attitude I have towards these people. Do I have the words PLEASE TALK TO ME branded on my forehead? No? Okay, just making sure. Because I would love to know why she suddenly thinks it's okay to have a conversation with me.

"Whatever," I responded boredly. She chuckled at my expression.

"You really don't like any of us, do you?" she asked. I turned my head to the side and stared at her in disbelief. So she _is _intelligent?

"I don't blame you, no one is really that nice to you. Not everyone is the same though, I'm not mean... well I'm not mean unless you give me a reason to be," she says. I sighed and shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess I-"

"Uh ladies, I'd hate to interrupt your time of making friendship bracelets, but we have a problem," Michael said. Catherine and I give each other panicked looks.

"Problem?" Catherine demands while standing up. Michael nods and jerks his head toward the door. Catherine and I walk to it and look outside. The wind smacked me in the face and I found it hard to keep my eyes wide open. Squinting, I catch sight of black clothed bodies heaving themselves out of the cars. I closed my eyes and face palmed. I hate everything: I hate my life, I hate the Dauntless, I hate this assignment, I hate the factionless sector, and I hate the universe.

"Looks like we have to jump," Jared muttered. Everyone visibly tensed up, and one by one we each nodded. If we wanted to get to the Dauntless compound, this was the only way.

"I'll go first," Jared announces. We all take a few steps back with him and watch him as he runs forward and launches himself out of the car, landing on his feet. Without a second thought, Michael sprints forward and throws himself out of the car. He lands stumbling, but eventually regaining his balance. I look at Catherine and bite my lip.

"Together?" I ask, hoping that she's forgotten about my rude and dry answers from earlier.

"Together," she confirms. I grab her hand.

"On three okay?" she asks. I nod in response and she gets ready to run.

"One," she screams.

"Two," I squeak out. After taking one last look at each other we shout "Three," and burst into a sprint. After the first two steps, the rest was easy. We jumped from the car, and I would've screamed if it didn't feel like someone dropped a weight on my chest. Catherine and I released one another's hand. I placed my two hands in front of me and prepared for the impact. Instead of landing on my stomach, my hands met the ground and I tuck-in-rolled right to my feet. I stood up and dusted myself off, that was... interesting. A bubble of laughter rose within me. I've spent my whole life complaining about these people, especially about the Dauntless, and here I am. I just jumped from a moving train. Laughing silently to myself, I made my way to where my teammates were standing.

"So what next?" I asked. When no one answered me, I turned to look at them. Catherine was looking down at the ground, concern washing over her features. Michael stood tensed, and pale. Jared held his breath, his lips pressed together in a firm line. My eyes followed the direction in which they were looking in. It was only then that I realized, we were on a roof and if my teammates were looking 50 feet down, then that could only mean one thing. I closed my eyes and shook my head, only I have this luck. Honestly, the universe has it out for me.

"We have to jump don't we?" I asked. The response I received was a simple nod from all of them, but it still sent my heart flying. No, this couldn't be, this _can't _be! They seriously expected us to jump off a roof that's fifty feet up in the air?

"No," I said, shaking my head vigorously. They all faced me, wearing the same look of amusement and shock plastered on their face: both eyebrows raised and a weak smile dancing across their lips.

"What do you mean no? It's the only way in," Jared answered.

"Well... how do you even know that we're supposed to jump off the roof?" I asked. I know what I'm doing. I'm stalling, putting the situation off, searching for any possible excuse to _not _jump off this roof. If a Dauntless leader were here, I'd be scolded because that… is cowardice.

"Because I caught a brief glimpse of the Dauntless soldiers jumping off as I was about to land," he answers. I held my breath and peeked over the edge. For a moment, none of us said anything.

"I'll go first," I announce. They all give me a bewildered expression.

"Seriously?" Jared asks. I don't say anything, instead I begin to prop myself up on the ledge of the roof.

"Elesia, just let me go first," Jared called out behind me. I turned my head slightly around and glared at him. He sighed and put his hands up.

"Alright, sorry," I gulped and looked back down at the ground. My hands began to shake, my breath was caught in my throat.

"Elesia, there's no need to go first," Jared said. I resisted the urge to flip him off and sighed. I can do this, I _will _do this. My heartbeat picked up, sharp goosebumps appeared on my arms, my knuckles turned white from digging my fingernails into my palms so much. I felt my stomach twist into knots, was I really going to do this? Was I really going to risk my life by jumping off a building? All to prove a point that I'm not even sure of? Without a second thought, I bent my knees and launched myself off the building. My arms and legs flailed around as the ground inched closer to me by the second. The wind pushed my hair in my face, and shoved my shirt slightly upward. As I continued to hurdle towards the ground, I noticed one thing. Why the hell did I do this? I'm literally falling to my death right now! Why the f*ck did I have the audacity to jump off that roof in the first place? The ground raced towards me faster than I could register. Bile rose in my throat, a weight dropped in my stomach, my face become hot, I prayed to the almighty God for my survival. I closed my eyes and tried to slow the moment down, I read somewhere that speed is relative, that the majority of life's obstacles are overcome by the concept mind over matter. I peeked one eye open and felt my heart rate pick up as I caught sight of the ground once again. Sweat collected in the lines of my palms as I pictured my body going SPLAT. I imagined blood gushing out from my head, my arms and legs twisted at odd angles. A shiver ran down my spine, why!? Why did I have to do this? My head began to pound from holding back tears so much, my life is going to end and there is nothing I can do about it, not now anyways.

"You gonna open your eyes anytime soon?" A deep, thick voice asked. My eyes fluttered open, and I took in my surroundings. I was on an odd looking substance. It was a large web of rough, thick, black cloth. Wait a second, I'm alive! I landed, but... how?

"Need some help?" The same voice from before asked. I looked at him, knit my eyebrows together, and tilted my head to the side, a sure sign that I was studying him. Even sitting on high ground, his height made me feel small. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes were narrowed at me, his lips pressed together to make a firm line. Despite his slightly scary expression, he didn't seem like too bad of a guy. He has light brown hair that was fuller in the front, bright green eyes, lightly tanned skin, a perfectly chiseled jaw, and thin lips.

"Uh," before I could finish responding, he rolled his eyes and effortlessly pulled me off the black, knotted material. It felt good to touch solid ground again, so good that I had to restrain myself from laying on my stomach and pressing my lips to the floor.

"Name?" he asked, well more like demanded.

"El-," I stop myself. I know it's stupid to hesitate, especially when being asked such a simple question. He raised a brow at me and asked, "What, is that a hard one?" At that question, my face flushed with embarrassment. The thing is, I'm no longer factionless, I'm a Dauntless initiate. I'm a selfless person who put aside her own needs for her parents. I think I should top it off with a new name.

"Ellie," I mutter. The corner of his lip twitches before he nods.

"First arrived, Ellie," He says in a louder voice. It was only then that I noticed the other Dauntless scattered around the room. They whooped and hollered, their fists punching the air. _First arrived, _something about those words made me feel proud of myself. Seconds later, an ear-piercing scream silenced the cheering and I knew Catherine had finally mustered up the courage to jump. Catherine hopped down from, whatever that thing is, and jogged over to me, squealing and jumping up and down with joy. All I did was laugh at her, she reminds me of a hyper-active chihuahua. Not a moment too soon, Jared's unmistakable blue blazer caught my eye as he zipped down the air.

"What's that thing we landed on?" I asked Catherine. Her jaw dropped in shock.

"You're kidding right?"

"I don't kid hunny," was my response.

"That black, magical substance that saved our lives, is called a net. Do you understand?" She was speaking to me like I was a special-ed child and I did not appreciate it. I glared daggers at her before saying, "Screw you."

"I'd screw me too," she said before throwing me a wink. I rolled my eyes at her, smart ass.

"HOLY-" Hmm, I was wondering where Michael went, now I know. He hopped down from what is apparently called a net and made his way over to us. For a moment, all we did was stare at each other, ignoring the cheering and clapping surrounding us. Then we all broke out into fits of laughter and joined the clapping as well.


	4. Chapter 4

About an hour later, the rest of the teams arrived, most of them giving me looks of pure hatred and disdain on their way in. After everyone had gotten here, we were split up into two different groups: Dauntless-born initiates and faction transfer initiates, meaning that I will only be training with fifteen people.

"Good afternoon initiates, my name is Four. I am your instructor." Ah, so that's his name... Four. I furrow my eyebrows together, that's a weird name. Am I the only one that thinks that, or does everyone in Dauntless name themselves after a number?

"My job is to use these two months to properly prepare you for the indicated way to live life as a Dauntless," he says. He is wearing the same look he did when I first saw him, stern and placid. He was strange, so strange that it made me feel slightly uneasy. I cursed silently under my breath as he turned on his heel and led us down a narrow hallway. No one spoke, even though we weren't told to be quiet. There was an intolerable stench that grew even stronger the deeper we traveled. The wooden floor creaked, interrupting the unsetlling silence that was among us. Doors with small handles were built into the walls, although I probably wouldn't have noticed that if he weren't walking so slow considering the yellow dim light makes it hard to see. Four's halt was abrupt, snapping all of us back into reality.

"If you look to your sides, you will see that there are five doors. If it wasn't already obvious, behind those doors are your rooms. Three of you will be sharing one and no, we don't take requests. Your roommates stay your roommates until the end of initiation, so I don't want to hear complaints about rooming with the opposite gender or about not being with your friends," he says, his voice firm. There was no verbal response, instead we all nod and wait for something else to come out of his mouth.

"In Room 1: Naveah, Leo, and Tyler," he pauses for a breif second and tosses a key to a tall, dark-skinned brunette. She must be Naveah.

"In Room 2: Kelly, Jennifer, and Theo," he takes another pause and throws the key to an average height boy with dark brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes.

"In Room 3: Brandon, Samantha, and Jared," he throws a key to a short (although I wasn't one to speak) girl with brown-almost black-hair, and red highlights.

"In Room 4: Ellie, Catherine, and Michael," he tosses me a silver key with the number 4 engraved in it. I stuff it in my pocket.

"Lastly, in Room 5: Blake, Zoey, and Justin," and of course, he tosses the key to someone in their group.

"When you enter your room there will be two other copies of the key on a small round table, _don't _lose them. We will not provide you with any extra keys. The rooms are all set up in a similar way: three beds, a small table, and two closets. In those closets, all of you will find three Dauntless suits that should last you while you're here. Once again, try not to tear them and please wash them regularly because we don't give you with any extra. Of course, if you don't like the suits we give you, you could always buy something you'd want to wear, just make sure it's appropriate for the training room. Starting tomorrow training will begin at 8 a.m on the dot. It ends every single day at 6 p.m and from then on you are allowed to do whatever you please." I suddenly feel overwhelmed. I don't know if it's because of all the information he's throwing at us, or because I never stopped to think how tough intiation will be.

"We will give you breakfast and lunch here, but dinner is your responsibilty. There are three stages to your training: physical, emotional, and mental. After each stage, your rankings will be posted and the last few initiates will be cut. It is in your best interest to perform as best as humanly possible throughout these two months because not only are you competing against each other, but you are competing against the Dauntless-born initiates. Is that understood?"

"Is that understood? No, we didn't f*cking understand! How the hell are we supposed to remember all of that word vomit!?" The voice was furious, feminine, and familiar. I scanned the small crowd until my eyes landed on an angry Catherine. Her arms were crossed over her chest, she glowered at Four, and her jaw was clenched. There was a spark of amusement in Four's eyes, but it died just as soon as it was born. He began walking towards her, taking long strides.

"Name?" he asked so quietly I could barely hear him. I can speak for the whole group and say it would have been better if he were yelling because that's what we all expected. If he yelled we knew that would be the end of this whole dilemma and we could all move on with our lives, but no, he was calm... too calm for anyone's safety.

"Catherine," she replies with a hint of sass in her tone. The corner of his lip twitches, the action making me even more wary of him. Suddenly he reaches into his boot and pulls out a small knife, his hand latches onto Catherine, yanks her forward and holds her in place as the hand with the knife in its possession flies up and presses it to her neck, but not hard enough to cut her. I, along with the other intiates, stare at the scene wide-eyed.

"Lesson one, respect me as well as the other highly positioned leaders. A question is not a gateway to a debate, neither are commands optional. Is _that _understood?" We all nod our heads vigorously, and he releases Catherine. She steps forward with a strangled gasp, and teary eyes. Poor girl, he probably scared the pee out of her.

"You have the rest of the day off, if I were you I'd use my free time to familiarize myself with this compund and think well about the start of my training," he adds finally, then pushes past us and leaves us to our private business. Sighing, I take the key from my pocket and open the door to what will be my home for the next two months. Catherine and Michael trail behind me, probably eager to relax. The room wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's quite small, but the size made me feel cozy. The walls are white, in the middle of the room was a small round wodden table that has chipped black paint, there was another door to the left of that table (which is the bathroom door, I'm assuming) and the neatly made beds stood adjacent to the double doors, which will most likely will reveal the closets when we open them.

"So... who gets what bed?" Catherine asks. I shrug and turn to Michael for his answer. He sighs and sits on the bed that is closest to him, which so happens to be the farthest away from the door, next to the window.

"This is mine," he says with a bright smile on his face. Catherine nods and then raises a questioning eyebrow at me.

"I guess I'll take this one," I say, referring to the bed that is closest to both the door and the closet.

"Alright, so I'll just sleep on the middle bed," she says. We all sit in comfortable silence for a moment until all of our eyes simultaneously shoot to the bathroom door.

"So..." Catherine speaks.

"So..." I say, copying her tone.

"So..." Michael says, doing the same. It only took about two seconds before we all jumped up and screamed, "I CALL DIBS ON THE BATHROOM!" We all sprinted to the door, competing with one another to get in there first. Instead, we all wound up pushing each other out of the way with our hips and unsuccesfully grasping at the handle. Since Michael was so big, Catherine and I had to hold onto to something to steady ourselves.

"God... damn... it," Catherine says, sturggling to speak due to the immense fight Michael and I are putting up. I groaned and shoved Catherine with my free hand. She stumbled and bumped into Michael, making him lose his balance. This gave me free access to the handle. I smirked and twisted the knob, but sadly never got a chance to open it because Michael effortlessly picked me up and threw me onto my bed.

"What the-" I stopped mid sentence and glared at the backs of Catherine and Michael as he began moving her away, but stopped when she started digging her teeth into his arm.

"There... is... no... way... you are getting this bathroom first," Catherine was struggling to speak again.

"Oh hell to the yes I am," Michael says and lifts her up with ease. He throws her onto my bed and proceeds to open the door.

"OH NO YOU DON'T," Catherine and I both shout together and then we leap onto Michael's back. How we both managed to stay on his back I don't know, all I know is that Catherine is biting his left shoulder while I'm covering his eyes with both of my hands, making his arms flail around blindly for the door handle.

"ELLIE GET OFF-"

"I'M NEVER GOING TO-"

"I DESERVE TO-"

"NO WAY AM I LETTING-"

"THAT F*CKING-"

"SCREW YOU-"

"I RARELY GET THIS PRIVELEGE-"

"BOTH OF YOU GET-"

"STOP BITING-"

"STOP YELLING-"

"I HOPE YOU-"

"YOU BETTER SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN CAUSE-"

We all yelled absurdities at one another. Catherine pulling away from Michael's shoulder to momentarily speak and then resuming to penetrating his skin with her teeth.

"You two are evil witches, you know that," Michael growled.

"It's one of my specialties," I respond sarcastically.

"Catherine stop bitting me, I think I'm actually bleeding," Michael yells. Catherine pulls away momentarily and says, "I'll stop when you promise to let _me _use the bathroom first."

"Over my dead body will that happen," Michael spits out.

"That can be arranged," both Catherine and I say together.

"What the f*ck is going on in here," Four growled, while swinging the door open. We all stop what we were doing and stare at him, our faces flushed, our jaws agape. He closes his eyes and face palms.

"Ellie... Catherine... why are you two attacking Michael," he asks. We all start shouting random explanations. We're so loud, I barely know what is coming out of my mouth. Four simply rolls his eyes and leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, as if he was bored with our argument. Then again, I don't blame him. I stole a quick glance at the bathroom door. Catherine and Michael were too busy yelling at each other to notice I stopped speaking, as well as I was making my way to the bathroom. I cautiously took another step back, making sure my footsteps weren't too loud. A few seconds later, I was standing in front of the door. My hand went back, and twisted the knob. It opened and I quickly went inside and slammed the door shut. At that moment, Catherine and Michael stopped arguing. I heard their footsteps grow louder and soon they were both banging on the door.

"ELESIA ALVAREZ, GET OUT OF THERE. OR SO HELP ME I WILL BREAK BOTH OF YOUR LEGS OFF," I rolled my eyes at Catherine's empty threat

"C'mon Ellie, I really need to pee," Michael pleads. I let out a laugh before responding, "Yeah? Well, I really need to shower. Guess you'll have to wait my love." Catherine and Michael both huff and stomp their feet.

"Fine, but hurry up!" I smirked and started stripping down, determined to scrub every single piece of dirt on my body, hair, and mouth. Determined to wash, rinse, and repeat until I, myself, can no longer believe I was once factionless.


End file.
